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“_ Hm! Remarkable happenings—travelers from 

afar. Interesting, very interesting!” Page 3G. 





























THE STORK’S 
NECKLACE 


A STORY 

BY 

EMILY NONNEN 

»* 


* > 
• ) > 


AUGUSTANA BOOK CONCERN 
ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS 









Copyright, 1923 

BY 

Augustana Book Concern. 




Printed in United States of America. 


«.. 

*> 4 

' * 

' i - 


ROCK ISLAND, ILL. 

AUGUSTANA BOOK CONCERN 

PRINTERS AND BINDERS 

1923 

26 1323 




. 



♦ 












CONTENTS 


PAGE 

The Stork's Necklace. 7 

The Little Peacemaker. 123 












I. 

A TRAVELER FROM AFAR. 

“Papa, papa, he has come! We’re 
so glad!” cried Sigismund and Marfa 
in chorus as they rushed into the 
smithy where their father stood at the 
anvil hammering on a red hot iron 
bar. “Come, papa, and have a look!” 

“Who has come, my children?” in¬ 
quired the father calmly, as he turned 
the heated iron with his tongs and con¬ 
tinued his rhythmic beating. “Whose 
coming has caused all this exicte- 
ment?” 

“The stork, of course,” Sigismund 
declared. “You know we have been 


7 







THE STORK’S NECKLACE 

expecting him so long. We were be¬ 
ginning to be afraid that he wouldn’t 
come back this year.” 

“Just as we were wondering what to 
do next,” little Marfa broke in, “we 
heard a whiz and a beating of wings 
over our heads, and there was the stcrk 
just alighting on our roof where he 
began to tramp about with his long 
legs in his old nest from last year. You 
may be sure we were glad to see him, 
and we wanted you to see him, too.” 

“Patience, my children, till I have 
shaped this horseshoe, or the bailiff 
will make it unpleasant for us when he 
returns from town with his horse. The 
stork won’t fly off, now that he has 
found his way here again.” 

“I wish that I could help you, papa, 
so that you would get through!” sighed 
Sigismund impatiently. 

8 


THE STORKS NECKLACE 


“That day will come soon enough,” 
the father declared. “There now, I 
guess I’m ready for you.” 

He laid aside his tools and wiped 
the sweat from his face, whereupon 
Sigismund and Marfa grasped each a 
hand and eagerly drew their father 
toward their cottage home which lay 
at the edge of the village not far from 
the smithy. There, over the front 
gable, they could see the great stork 
nest that had been empty all winter. 
Now a large white stork was flutter- 
ing about in the nest as if setting his 
home in order. For some time they 
stood eagerly watching the procedure; 
then the children uttered a shout of 
joy when they saw the mother stork 
swooping down from aloft. She had 
lingered behind the mate, possibly be¬ 
cause she was not so strong and had 


9 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


tired from the long journey. They 
greeted each other with clacking of 
bills and promptly began to set to 
rights their home, disarranged by many 
a winter storm. It was funny to watch 
their queer antics as they worked with 
bills, legs and wings, and the children 
followed their movements with eager 
interest. 

“Where is Lodoiska?” asked the fa¬ 
ther after watching the birds awhile. 

“We couldn’t find her,” Marfa de¬ 
clared. “O, there she is!” 

A young girl, some years older than 
Sigismund, entered through the gar¬ 
den gate. She carried a basket on her 
arm, from which she flung corn to the 
cackling chickens scrambling about 
her. She, too, was pleased to see the 
storks, and great was the children’s de¬ 
light when their sister enticed the 

io 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


storks from their nest and fed them 
with corn out of her hand. Without 
show of fear the storks moved sedately 
about as if in friendly greeting to old 
acquaintances after a long absence. 

Lodoiska was the best behaved and 
the prettiest girl in the entire village, 
and she made a pretty picture standing 
there in the group formed by the long- 
legged storks, the two children danc¬ 
ing with joy, the sturdy blacksmith and 
the flock of chickens hovering on the 
outskirts from fear of the storks. To 
this group under the great linden with 
its buds just unfolding two persons 
presently joined themselves. They were 
the village schoolmaster Prakosch and 
his son Stanislas, a student at the Uni¬ 
versity of Warsaw, home on a visit. 

“Papa,” said Sigismund, “the old 
women of the village declare that it 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


is good luck when a stork builds his 
nest on your roof. Do • you believe 
that, papa?” 

“I believe it’s all superstition,” the 
father declared; “or what do you say, 
Prakosch? You are a man of educa¬ 
tion and know more than a simple fel¬ 
low like myself.” 

“It isn’t very likely,” the old school¬ 
master declared, “that a bird can bring 
either good or ill luck to a house. 
Other causes are at work to decide 
such matters. I believe that an honest 
man like Gregor Zamoiski and his 
pretty little daughter Lodoiska are 
sure to make a home happy even if no 
stork comes to build a nest on their 
roof.” 

Lodoiska turned crimson with em¬ 
barrassment and hastened to give the 
conversation a different turn. 


12 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


“I wonder,” she remarked, “where 
the storks go when they leave us in the 
fall. What fun it would be if they 
could give us an account of their ad¬ 
ventures!” 

“Scholars tell us,” said Stanislas, 
“that they seek their winter homes in 
the far South; but how they find the 
way, and what happens to them on 
their journey are things that nobody 
can tell us unless the storks themselves 
find some means of revealing the se¬ 
cret. 

“We have chattered long enough 
now,” declared the schoolmaster. “It’s 
time we were off to our lessons. Come, 
children.” 

Sigismund and Marfa patted the 
storks, kissed their father and sister, 
and followed Prakosch and his son to 
the schoolhouse. 


13 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 




II. 

LESKOW. 

We will now cast a glance into the 
home on whose roof the friendly storks 
have built their nest for several sum¬ 
mers. It lay on the outskirts of a Po¬ 
lish village on the great estates of the 
manor house of Leskow, which for cen¬ 
turies had belonged to the rich and 
powerful Leskowski family. The pres¬ 
ent lord of the manor, Count Alois 
Leskowski, had, however, not for years 
dwelt on or even visited his ancestral 
estates. Mourning over the tragic fate 
of his native land now languishing un¬ 
der the tyranny of Russia, the count 
had, as so many other Polish noblemen, 
spent his winters in Paris, and his sum- 


14 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 

* 

mers at German health resorts or in 
foreign travel. 

Seldom did any news of the count 
reach Leskow. It was generally known 
that he found no pleasure in dwelling 
on his estates which he had entrusted 
to the management of his baliff Mui- 
schek, a man who had won the confi¬ 
dence of the count by fawning and 
flattery, but who was feared and hated 
by his dependents for his cruel and 
domineering treatment of them. But 
their hatred of the bailiff was carefully 
concealed, and his despotic rule pa¬ 
tiently endured, for no one knew who 
might become the next victim of his 
greed and intrigues. The count seemed 
content if the rents were paid on time, 
without taking a thought to the extor¬ 
tionate means used by his bailiff to col¬ 
lect them. 


15 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 

The stately manor house lay on a 
slope gently rising from the banks of 
the Narew River. An air of desola¬ 
tion seemed to hold sway about the 
place; owls inhabited the ivy-clad tow¬ 
ers, and there were traces of the war’s 
devastation which had penetrated even 
to these remote regions. 

One wing alone of the great house 
was inhabited and in good order, name¬ 
ly that in which the bailiff lived, and 
where he had gradually collected from 
the rest of the manor house its most 
priceless furnishings which he had 
come to look upon as his own. 

The extensive park surrounding the 
manor house still bore traces of former 
grandeur; but the trees, once trimmed 
to represent quaint figures of birds and 
animals, were now unkempt and their 
stems overgrown with moss. Here and 

16 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


there remains of statuary could be seen, 
some headless, others without arms, and 
still others were lying prostrate and 
overgrown with creepers and wild 
brier bushes. The fountain in the arti¬ 
ficial lake no longer played, and the 
gold fishes were dead and gone; here 
and there a water lily bobbed upon the 
turbid waters. A lonely peacock paced 
up and down the grass-grown paths 
dejectedly dragging its tail as if it re¬ 
alized that it was useless to spread its 
gorgeous fan when there was no one 
to admire its play of colors. 

How great the contrast, then, be¬ 
tween the departed glories of the man¬ 
or house and the simple but neat cot¬ 
tage inhabited by Gregor Zamoyski 
and his family! On his mother’s side 
Zamoyski was of German stock and 
belonged to the so-called dissenters or 

17 

The Stork’s Necklace. 2 . 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


protestants who at that time enjoyed 
religious liberty in the otherwise 
strongly Catholic Poland. Some years 
before, he had lost his splendid wife, 
whose death left the care of the house¬ 
hold upon the tender shoulders of the 
oldest daughter, Lodoiska,who assumed 
the burden and performed the duties 
with a wisdom and skill seldom to be 
found in one so young. As well as 
she could she tried to fill a mother’s 
place with the other children, and 
these more than repaid her by the 
warmth of their affection for her. The 
sturdy, impetuous Sigismund as well 
as the more tractable Marfa readily 
yielded to the mild sway of the elder 
sister whom both loved so well. 

Gregor Zamoyski was a man of un¬ 
usual thrift and diligence. His was not 
the shiftless, violent temperament so 

18 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


common among his fellow countrymen. 
His fields and meadows bore evidence 
of his careful and well-directed efforts. 
While his neighbors contented them¬ 
selves to follow the old worn-out meth¬ 
ods of their fathers, Gregor eagerly 
made use of the improved methods just 
then being introduced, and in these ef¬ 
forts he was greatly aided by his old 
friend, the schoolmaster Prakosch. The 

old man was a veritable bookworm, 

* 

and when his son Stan is In crme home 

f 

on his vacations, the lather found 
pleasure not only in his son’s society 
but also in the many books he brought 
home to study at his leisure. Stanislas 
was specializing in agriculture at the 
University of Warsaw, and his notes 
and books on this subject were eagerly 
devoured by the father, who in turn 
made haste to impart his knowledge 


19 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 

to his good friend and neighbor Zam- 
oyski. The latter had never had the 
opportunity to learn to read; therefore 
he hailed with delight the visits of 
Prakosch and Stanislas to his cottage 
of an evening after the day’s work was 
done. Together they would read and 
discuss the events and progress of the 
great world about them, while Lodo- 
iska sat sedately at her spinning wheel 
and the children played in a corner. 

Not content with his agricultural 
pursuits alone, Gregor had built a 
smithy where he worked at odd hours 
and especially during the winter 
months doing odd jobs for the bailiff 
and his neighbors and making im¬ 
proved agricultural implements from 
the drawings found in the books and 
notes of the young university student. 

* 

By diligence and thrift Gregor had 


20 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


won for himself a modest competency 
and the confidence and respect of all 
his neighbors. There was one, how¬ 
ever, who viewed with ill-concealed 
spite and envy the neat cottage and 
well-tilled fields of Gregor Zamoyski, 
namely the bailiff Muischek. This 
man cherished a special grudge against 
Gregor partly because of the latter’s 
frank and upright nature, and partly 
because Gregor had on several occa¬ 
sions foiled his well laid plains to prey 
upon his defenceless dependents by dis¬ 
honest practices. Long had the bailiff 
brooded on revenge, but as yet no op¬ 
portunity had presented itself to do 
him any serious harm. For Gregor 
was always prompt in the payment of 
his rents, and avoided as much as pos¬ 
sible to expose himself to the petty 
persecutions of the bailiff, even bidding 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


Sigismund to have as little to do as he 
could with Stefan, the bailiff’s young¬ 
est son. Stefan was somewhat older 

than Sigismund, and a large, rawboned 
\ 

lad, quick and eager for mischief, but 

slow to do honest work in school or in 
the fields. He had his father’s fawn¬ 
ing ways, if he wished to gain his own 
selfish ends, but he had also learned 
from his father to treat his presumed 
inferiors with coarse insolence. His 
indulgent father had spoiled him by 
yielding to his every wish in spite of 
the constant protests of the sterner 
mother who saw the danger, and who 
was more attached to her oldest son, 
lately come home from the university 
to become his father’s assistant and, if 
their plans did not miscarry, his succes¬ 
sor when the father grew too old to per¬ 
form the duties of his office. 


22 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


III 

THE NESTLINGS. 

On a glorious summer day Marfa 
had gone with Lodoiska to drive the 
cows to a distant pasture where a clump 
af trees afforded grateful shade. Gre¬ 
gor was busy in the field, and Sigis- 
mund was home alone vainly trying 
to invent some way to amsue himself. 
Suddenly he heard a faint cry coming 
from the roof of the cottage. He stiff¬ 
ened at the sound and presently heard 
it repeated somewhat louder and 
sounding like the wail of a little child. 

“I know what it is!” he cried exited- 
ly. “It’s the stork babies come out of 
their eggs. I only wish that Marfa 
were here to enjoy the sight! But how 


23 






THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


shall I get up to the nest? Of course 
there is the ladder that father used 
when he climbed up to mend the roof. 
But I can never raise it without help.” 

Valiantly he tugged and heaved at 
the heavy ladder; but though he was 
strong for his age, the task was too 
much for him. Meanwhile the baby 
storks were piping away in their nest, 
and Sigismund’s eagerness to reach 
them increased by leaps and bounds. 
Just then he heard some one behind 
call him by name. Quickly turning, he 
saw Stefan Muischek coming in 
through the garden gate. 

“What are you trying to do?” Ste¬ 
fan asked, grinning at the vain efforts 
of Sigismund. “Have I caught you in 
the act of breaking and entering?” 

“Stop your joshing!” cried Sigis¬ 
mund, “I’m trying to reach the stork 


24 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


babies on the roof. They have just 
come out of their eggs.” 

“Wait a moment and I’ll give you a 
lift”, said Stefan. 

Though astonished at this act of con¬ 
descension on the part of Stefan, Sigis* 
mund readily accepted the offer, for 
an extra pair of stout arms was needed 
to raise the ladder to the roof. 

By their united efforts the ladder was 
soon raised, and the two boys clam¬ 
bered up to the nest. 

“O how funny they look — one, two, 
three of them!” cried Sigismund who 
was the first to reach the nest. 

“What ugly brutes with their long 
necks and red legs!” Stefan exclaimed. 

Reaching past Sigismund, he grabbed 
one of the young birds roughly. 
This was too much for the stork mother 
who struck him viciously with her 


25 



THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


sharp beak and uttered such shrill cries 
that Stefan was glad to escape down 
the ladder with more haste than he had 
mounted it. 

“Hideous things!” he cried nursing 

s' 

his hurt. 

“They never harm me,” Sigismund 
declared; “but then, you see, I am never 
rough with them.” 

“Who cares for the dirty beasts any¬ 
way!” Stefan exclaimed. “Come down 
here — I’ve got something to tell you,” 

“Well, what is it?” asked Sigismund 
when he reached the ground. 

“I want to ask you,” Stefan said in 
the coaxing tone he employed when he 
wished to gain his end, “if you would 
like to take a stroll in the woods with 
me. It’s no fun to go alone, and I dpn’t 
know where all the other boys are. 
I’ve set some snares for birds, and I 

26 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


want to see what success I’ve had. 
Come along, that’s a good fellow!” 

Never before had Stefan spoken so 
kindly and then he had helped with 
the ladder, so Sigismund felt inclined 
to consent. Then he suddenly remem¬ 
bered his father’s order to avoid as¬ 
sociating with Stefan. He turned red 
as a peony and stammered in confu¬ 
sion : 

“You see-that is — — I’d like 

to go, but I don’t know whether father 
would let me.” 

Scornfully Stefan burst into loud 
laughter. 

“That’s rich, I must say! Papa’s 
little boy must ask papa’s permission to 
go into the woods. No wonder all the 
boys in the village call you a sissy!” 

“I’m no more sissy than you are!” 


27 






THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


shouted Sigismund; “but I promised 
Lodoiska — — —” 

“Lodoiska! That’s better still! 
Little brother tied to big sister’s apron 
strings!” 

“Shut up!” thundered Sigismund. 
“Nothing hinders me from going into 

the woods. It’s only that-” 

, Shamefaced, he paused abruptly be¬ 
fore he had time to blurt out the whole 
truth. 

“Come along then, if nothing hinders 
you”, coaxed Stefan. “Good company 
makes a short journey. You can turn 
back whenever you want to; but I’m 
sure we’ll have a good time in the 
woods.” 

“He has been real kind to-day”, 
mused Sigismund, “and I don’t believe 
father would object to my going this 
once.” 


28 




THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


So the two boys started off through 
the garden gate; but the first part of 
their walk was far from pleasant as 
they trudged on in the hot sun along 
the dusty highway. Besides, Sigis- 
mund’s conscience troubled him, and 
he kept glancing back to see if his 
father were watching him. Sigismund 
had never felt like this before, and he 
wondered at the cause of it. Stefan 
did not fail to notice his comrade’s un¬ 
easiness, and to distract him he began 
to tell all kinds of funny stories of 
pranks and adventures he had had until 
Sigismund was forced to laugh and so 
forgot the cause of his anxiety. 


29 


THE STORK'S NE'CKLACE 


IV. 

IN THE WOODS. 

Well within the woods, the boys 
seemed in a new world. The stately 
trees formed great temple arches over 
their heads. The glowing heat of the 
sun was subdued, as its rays filtered 
through the leaves and branches sough¬ 
ing in the gentle breeze, while a pleas¬ 
ing fragrance was wafted to them from 
the moss under foot, the sticky leaves 
of the balsam poplar above them, and 
the dripping resin of pines along their 
path. In the lofty treetops birds were 
warbling their midsummer carols; the 
song thrush was fluting its melancholy 
lay from the top of a neighboring fir, 
and leaping airily from branch to 


30 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


branch, a squirrel paused to gaze with 
bright eyes upon the intruders. Lost 
in wonder and admiration of the beau¬ 
ties about him, Sigismund momentarily 
forgot that he had strayed from the 
path of duty. Young as he was and 
ignorant of the ways of the great world, 
he yet had a mind responsive to the 
beauties of nature, and he often paused 
to exclaim upon these as if unwilling 
to miss the sights and sounds that held 
such charms for him. 

“Stefan,” he cried, “have you ever 
heard such singing before? Doesn’t 
that wild briar smell sweet? See that 
gaudy butterfly! How his wings shine 
in the sun! O, isn’t this soft moss a 
carpet for a king!” 

But all unheeding, Stefan marched 
steadily on. What cared he for song 
of birds when it was the cry of distress 


31 


THE STORKS NECKLACE 


of the poor captives in his snares that 
he was listening for? Much to his 
disgust he found not a single bird in 
his snares though these were displaced 
and scattered on the ground. 

“Some one has been here before me!” 
he cried angrily, stamping on the 
ground so that the delicate pollen from 
the flowers under foot rose in tiny 
clouds. “If I can catch the' wretch 
who did this, I’ll soon teach him that 
it isn’t safe to thwart the son of Mui- 
schek the bailiff!” 

Sigismund was astonished and 
frightened at the fierce anger of his 
comrade. 

“Now I must set out new snares”, 
Stefan growled; “but I’ll take care to 
place them where they will be safe 
from prying eyes.” 

To accomplish this the lads began 
to push their way through the thick 


32 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


underbrush, when Sigismund suddenly 
observed a slender spiral of smoke ris¬ 
ing among the trees on their left, and 
at the same time he heard a queer, 
droning song that startled him. 
Creeping stealthily forward, the boys 
presently came in sight of a dilapidated 
brown tent through an opening of 
which they beheld two men lying asleep 
within, and a child wailing on the tent 
floor. Before the tent door stood a 
woman with a mop of tangled black 
hair hanging about a yellow, wrinkled 
face. A pair of sharp eyes peered from 
under brushy brows, and her gaunt 
form was wrapped in a faded blanket 
that bore traces of having once been 
gaudily colored. She was still hum¬ 
ming a quaint, wild melody when the 
boys caught sight of her. 

“Who is that ugly hag?” whispered 

33 

The Stork’s Necklace. 3 . 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


Sigismund, restrained by Stefan’s firm 
grasp from beating a hasty retreat. 

“It must be the gypsy Wanda,” Ste¬ 
fan replied. “A very wise old woman, 
people say. Come, we will have her 
tell our fortunes.” 

So saying, Stefan emerged from the 
bushes, dragging Sigismund with him. 

“What are you boys doing here?” 
the old hag asked harshly. 

“Snaring birds,” Stefan replied care¬ 
lessly. 

“You’ll have to quit that!” the gypsy 
cried. “The forest is my kingdom, and 
none but me and mine dare touch a 
living thing within it.” 

“Is that so?” drawled Stefan. “I 
wasn’t aware that your authority was 
so extensive. They tell me that you 
are a wise woman. Come, we would 
like to have you tell our fortunes.” 


34 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


“Sure, I will. Give me your hand— 
but first you must cross my palm with 
silver.” 

“Hard luck!” Stefan declared; “I 
left my money at home. Did you bring 
any money, Sigismund?” 

“No — yes — come, Stefan, let’s get 

a 

out of here,” pleaded Sigismund anx¬ 
iously. 

But Stefan reached into his com¬ 
rade’s pocket and drew out several 
coins. 

“Let my money alone, Stefan!” cried 
Sigismund. “Father gave it to me to 
buy a slate with.” 

“Is this enough?” Stefan inquired 
without heeding the protests of his 
companion. 

The gypsy hid the coins in some poc¬ 
ket about her person, then grabbed 
Sigismund’s hand though he tried fran- 


35 




THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


tically to jerk it away. Intently she 
gazed into the boy’s open palm while 
she mumbled some strange jargon. At 
last she began to sing softly: 

“Fortune is a bird quite rare, 

Quick to come, and quick to fare; 

To the one she gives bright gold, 

To the other earth’s black mold.” 

What’s this? The lines in your palm 
cross each other strangely. Hm! Re¬ 
markable happenings — travelers from 
afar. Interesting, very interesting!” 

Then seizing Stefan’s hand, she 
gazed at it with glowing eyes until a 
chill of fear tingled through his mar¬ 
row. 

“Here I read a different tale”, she 
mumbled. “Ugly lines and evil days 
for you, you big scamp!” 

“You nasty old witch!” cried Stefan 
tearing himself loose from her clutches 

36 



THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


and darting off into the woods followed 
by Sigismund. 

When they finally stopped for 
breath, Sigismund begged that they 
should start for home, especially as he 
noticed that the sky was overcast, and 
the sultry air boded the coming of a 
thunderstorm. But they had now come 
out into a glade where the ground was 
red with wild strawberries, and where 
at the foot of an ivy-clad cliff a clear 
stream babbled invitingly over mossy 
stones. Nothing would do but that Ste¬ 
fan should stop here and enjoy the 
feast, and even Sigismund forgot his 
anxiety as he ate his fill of berries and 
then began to thread a quantity of them 
on straws to carry home to his sisters. 

Suddenly a deep rumble of distant 
thunder was heard, and the black 


37 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


cloud overhead transformed the bright 
day to the gloom of twilight. 

“I’ll stay no longer”, Sigismund de¬ 
clared firmly. “Show me the way, and 
I’ll hurry home even if you don’t come 
along. But oh, what will father say 
when he discovers, that I have dis¬ 
obeyed him! And Lodoiska and Mar¬ 
fa, how worried they will be over my 
long absence!” 

“What a milksop you are!” cried 
Stefan, his mouth full of berries. 

A flash of lightning lit up the 
gloomy woods, followed by a crash of 
thunder overhead. Then even Stefan 
was terrified. Superstitious as all per¬ 
sons with a troubled conscience are, he 
thought that the old witch had conjured 
forth the storm to be revenged on him. 

“Come!” she shouted, and darted off 
at full speed. 


38 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


Soon he perceived that the more 
active Sigismund threatened to outstrip 
him and leave him behind. By a des¬ 
perate spurt he caught up with his com* 
panion at a turn in the path, and seiz¬ 
ing him by the collar, he commanded 
him to keep even pace. The sudden 
jerk threw Sigismund off his balance, 
and he fell with his foot caught under 
a protruding root. He tried to rise 
and go on, but with a cry of pain he 
sank to the ground with a badly 
wrenched ankle. 

Stefan’s fear and anger were terrible 
to see. He kicked and pounded his 
prostrate comrade, commanding him to 
get up and come along. When he 
found that all his efforts were useless, 
he cried with a curse: “Lie there till 
you rot, then! I’m going to save my 
hide even if you don’t!” 


39 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


So the wicked Stefan hurried off for 
home, leaving poor Sigismund suffer¬ 
ing with pain and frightened by the 
storm. Incessant flashes of lightning 
lit up the sky, peal on peal of thunder 
reverberated through the forest, and 
great drops of rain trickled through the 
leafy branches down upon the poor lad. 
Sorrow and anguish filled his heart. 
Earnestly he prayed that God might 
forgive him for his disobedience, and 
save him from dying there all alone in 
the woods. 

Lying thus weeping and wringing , 
his hands, he heard the sound of ap-' 
proaching steps rustling among the 
leaves. With a cry of joy he sat up 
only to see with a sinking heart that 
it was the old gypsy mumbling to her¬ 
self and moving through the woods 
with a bundle of sticks upon her back. 


40 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 

“Ho, what have we here?” she ex¬ 
claimed, as she caught sight of the boy. 
“Did that big scamp leave you to your 
fate? Hm, just what he might be ex¬ 
pected to do!” 

She approached and looked down 
upon the prostrate lad with an evil 
smile. 

“Ha!” she hissed, “you were afraid 
of the old witch, weren’t you? But 
why should you have such a fine cap 
when my poor grandchild goes bare¬ 
headed; or why should you have so 
neat a jacket when he wears rags?” 

So saying, she calmly proceeded to 
appropriate cap and jacket in spite of 
Sigismund’s frantic efforts to hinder 
her. She was just going to remove his 
vest also when a shot rang out in the 
forest. Sigismund called aloud for 
help, but was quickly silenced by a rag 


41 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


tied over his mouth, after which Wan¬ 
da bundled up her booty and prepared 
to make off. But she had not taken 
many steps before a strong hand laid 
hold on her, and she found herself con¬ 
fronted by a young man with a gun 
slung across his back and a dead fox 
dangling from his shoulder. 

“O, sir, have pity on a poor old wom¬ 
an!” she cried, dexterously twisting 
from his grasp and gliding off through 
the underbrush. 

“O, it’s Stanislas!” cried Sigismund 
when his gag had been removed. “The 
good God has heard my prayers! I 
feared that He had forsaken me as I 
had deserved. O, Stanislas, I’m so 
thankful!” 

Sigismund threw his arm about his 
friend’s neck and sobbed with relief 
and joy. 


<5 


42 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


The young student was not a little 
surprised to find Gregor’s son in such 
a predicament, but a few words of ex¬ 
planation cleared up the situation. 

“It was fortunate,” Stanislas de¬ 
clared, “that the fox led me so long a 
chase. I din’t want to lose him, other¬ 
wise I would not have lingered in the 
woods in such a storm — it is doubly 
dangerous under the trees. But I was 
anxious to secure the pelt as a lining 
for father’s overcoat, so I forgot all 
about the storm. Now the creature 
must lie hidden in the brush while you 
take his place on my back, for I must 
get you home as soon as possible.” 

“I’m too heavy for you to carry all 
the way,” Sigismund declared. 

“Just the same I’ll make the at- 
tempt”, Stanislas smilingly declared. 
“But first I must have a look at your 


43 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


foot to see if we can ease the pain a 
little. 

He found the ankle much swollen, 
but after binding it with a handkerchief 
dipped in the stream Sigismund felt 
greatly releaved. Then Stanislas care¬ 
fully swung the boy on his back and set 
out briskly along the forest path. 

How still the forest was after the 
storm! Not a sound was to be heard 
except the quick strides of the youth 
and his deep breathing as he now and 
then sat down on a stump to rest and 
catch his breath before again striding 
off under his heavy burden. 


44 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


V. 

ANXIOUS MOMENTS. 

Gregor and his daughters had re¬ 
turned from the fields. 

“Sigismund must be off playing with 
the other boys”, the girls conjectured. 
But when time passed and the storm 
burst, they began to grow anxious con¬ 
cerning their missing brother. In spite 
of the heavy downpour both father and 
daughters rushed out into the village 
and made inquiries, but no one had 
seen the boy. 

Meanwhile Stefan Muischekhad ar¬ 
rived home, dripping wet and shaking 
from fear. He promptly undressed 
and went to bed; but he could not sleep, 
for his shameful action in deserting his 


45 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


companion troubled him. So he called 
his father, and explaining Sigismund’s 
predicament asked him to inform Gre¬ 
gor about it. 

“Let the boy lie there awhile”, the 
bailiff replied with a scornful laugh; 
“it will teach him and his uppish father 
a well-needed lesson in humility.” 

Without more ado he dismissed the 
matter from his mind. 

Meanwhile Lodoiska was anxiously 
peering out into the evening twilight 
where all nature was filled with the 
fragrant vapors rising after the storm. 
Suddenly she saw an object move out of 
the woods. It resembled a man bend¬ 
ing under a heavy burden. After a 
few moments of doubt the truth flashed 
on her. 

“It’s Sigismund!” she cried. “Stanis- 


46 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


las is carrying him on his back. O, 
what has happened!” 

At her call Gregor and Marfa ap¬ 
pear, and all hasten to the gate which 
they reached just as Stanislas came up 
and carefully deposited his burden on 
the bench under the linden. 

As father and sisters gathered around 
him, Sigismund tearfully related what 
had taken place and how Stanislas had 
saved his life. 

Father and sisters poured out their 
gratitude to the young man who made 
light of it, disclaiming any credit in 
the matter. 

“It was a lucky chance!” he de¬ 
clared. 

“There is no such thing as chance!” 
Gregor solemnly declared. “It was 
the hand of God that directed your 
steps, my young friend; and to God in 

47 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


the first place will we give our thanks. 
As for you, Sigismund, your disobed¬ 
ience has already been punished. You 
will suffer pain and will have to keep 
still for some time to come. As for 
Stefan, his punishment will find him 
out sooner or later.” 

After this event the relations between 
Gregor Zamoyski and the bailiff be¬ 
came more strained and unpleasant 
than before. 

After his drenching in the storm the 
bailiff’s son became seriously ill. Ste¬ 
fan himself believed that the gypsy had 
bewitched him, while his father main¬ 
tained that in some way Sigismund was 
to blame for the misadventure. Gre¬ 
gor demanded that the gypsies should 
be driven from the neighborhood, and 
that Wanda, especially, should be pun¬ 
ished for her misdeeds. But the bailiff 

48 • 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


turned a deaf ear to the demands of 
Gregor and the other villagers who 
had suffered from the nightly raids on 
their gardens and henhouses. It was 
generally rumored in the village that 
when Wanda learned that one of the 
two lads she had treated so roughly was 
the bailiff’s son, she arranged a secret 
meeting with the father in the woods, 
where she paid him a sum of money 
to drop the matter. 

So it came about that the condition 
of the villagers grew daily worse as 
they groaned under the repeated extor¬ 
tions and cruelties of the dishonest 
bailiff. 


49 


The Stork’s Necklace. 4. 


1 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


VI. 

SOUTHWARD BOUND. 

Autumn days were fast approaching. 
After weeks of confinement on account 
of his sprained ankle, Sigismund was 
again up and about, and one day we 
find Gregor and his children before the 
smithy door pleasantly conversing with 
the old schoolmaster, who made use of 
every opportunity of associating with 
these kind and honest neighbors. 

They were speaking of the storks 
which of late had been restlessly flying 
about their nest in ever widening 
circles. It was clear to see that they 
were preparing for their annual migra¬ 
tion to the South. The children were 
wondering, as they had so often done, if 


50 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


it was the old birds or the young ones 
that returned in the spring, or if an 
entirely new pair made their home in 
the old nest on the roof. 

“Dear Papa,” said Lodoiska to her 
father hammering a piece of sheet iron, 
“just think if we could find some means 
of discovering whether our old friend 
returns or not. A little ring, for ex¬ 
ample, around his neck. He is so tame 
that it wouldn’t be hard to attach it.” 

“No, that would be easy enough,’, 
Gregor replied. “It won’t take me 
more than a minute or two to shape a 
thin iron band.” 

“O, what fun!” cried Marfa, clap¬ 
ping her hands. 

“But there must be an inscription on 
it,” Sigismund declared, “so that the 
people where the stork makes his win- 


51 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


ter home will know where he came 
from.” 

“Then it must be in Latin”, declared 
the schoolmaster Prakosch, “for that 
is understood by educated people all 
over the world. If only Stanislas 
were home! He would quickly have 
hit upon a suitable inscription.” 

“What’s the name for stork in La¬ 
tin?” asked Lodoiska. 

“Ciconia,” replied the old man. 
“Wait a minute — perhaps I can man¬ 
age it. This will do, I think: 

HAEC CICONIA 
EX POLONIA 

which means, This stork is from Po¬ 
land. If any one in a distant land 
reads the inscription, he will know 
whence our friend came; and if papa 
stork returns next spring with the iron 


52 



THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


necklace round his neck, we will all 
know that he is our old acquaintance 
who has built his nest here for years.” 

Without delay Gregor shaped and 
polished a thin iron band, whereupon 
the schoolmaster with a sharp steel 
point engraved the Latin inscription. 
Then Lodoiska, whom neither man nor 
beast could resist, gently called the 
stork from his high perch. Down he 
swooped to her side, and while he fed 
from her hand, and Marfa gently 
stroked his shining feathers, Gregor 
linked the band about his neck so that 
it could not slip off. The stork seemed 
to enjoy the attention shown him by his 
friends of long standing, for he clack¬ 
ed his bill and ruffled his feathers, 
then launched into the air, and calling 
his mate and young, he led the way 
into the deep blue sky, heading due 


53 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


south. The group about the smithy 
followed the stork family’s flight with 
bated breath until it vanished from 
sight. Then with a sense of loss they 
turned their eyes to the empty nest on 
the roof. 


54 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


VII. 

THE SUNNY SOUTH. 

Faster than the flight of birds of 
passage, swifter than the winds of 
heaven, imagination speeds over land 
and sea, unrolling to our view dismal 
scenes of Northern forest or smiling 
landscapes of the sunny South. Thus 
on the wings of fantasy we are trans¬ 
ported to far-ofl India where nature 
loves to appear in daring and striking 
contrasts. 

On the banks of the majestic Ganges 
River towering palms waved their 
feathery crowns on slender stems when 
fitful breezes rose from the superheated 
ground. From dense thickets cactus 
flowers flamed, and the milky-white 


55 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


magnolia blossoms gleamed like stars 
against the dark-green foliage. Pink 
oleanders shed their heavy fragrance 
upon the still air, and parrots in all col¬ 
ors of the rainbow flitted like meteors 
among the flower-laden branches over¬ 
head. At some distance between two 
rows of dark cypresses towered a Hin¬ 
du temple of snow-white marble cov¬ 
ered with delicate tracery and topped 
by golden cupolas glittering in the sun. 

In the midst of this luxuriant nature 
several young maidens might be seen 
slowly wending their way toward the 
river. The one who walked in advance 
bore upon her dark locks a diadem of 
gold and pearls, and her costly robe 
was richly embroidered with threads 
of silver and gold. The diaphanous 
veil that fell to her sandal-covered feet 
but partly concealed her features, and 

56 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


bright, flashing eyes shone through its 
gauzy folds. She was the princess Go- 
oramma, the daughter of an Indian 
rajah, and the other maidens, who ac¬ 
companied her bearing ornate fans of 
ostrich feathers, were her slaves and 
personal attendants. 

When they reached the bank of the 
river, Gooramma took from the hands 
of an attendant a lighted alabaster lamp 
which she held aloft as kneeling upon 
the bank she prayed: 

“O divine Ganges, reveal to me if 
my brother and his loyal friend and 
companion in arms, the brave Kasi- 
ma, are still in the land of the living, 
or if they have fallen on the field of 
battle.” 

Then stooping, she carefully plac¬ 
ed the burning lamp upon the sur¬ 
face of the water, watching it with 


57 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


bated breath as it floated gently down 
the stream. Sometimes the tiny flame 
would disappear among the lotus blos¬ 
soms bobbing on the gentle ripples, 
only to appear again sailing serenely 
on its way. Once a larger ripple 
caused by a sudden gust threatened to 
engulf the lamp, and Gooramma ut¬ 
tered a cry of terror. But no, the frail 
bark righted itself, its light shone 
steadily until it finally vanished as a 
fading star in the misty distance. 

Rejoicing and grateful for the happy 
omen, Gooramma turned to her atten¬ 
dants and exclaimed: 

“O, what joy and comfort! ' Now of 
a surety I know that they live, for the 
flame was not quenched on its perilous 
passage down the sacred Ganges. But 
how sultry it is! I would rest and 
sleep a while amidst these beautiful sur- 

58 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


roundings. Do you, Zelica, fan me 
while I sleep; and do the rest of you 
pick flowers and make sprays and gar¬ 
lands for the morrow’s festivities.” 

Thereupon Gooramma lay down up- 

0 

on an oriental rug spread over a soft 
bed of moss. Near her a fountain shot 
its jet of water aloft to fall in pearly 
showers into a marble basin. The mel¬ 
odious murmur of the fountain, and 
the heavy fragrance of rose and jasmine 
soon lulled the weary princess into 
dreamless sleep. Even Zelica felt the 
influence of the drowsy atmosphere; 
slower and slower grew her movements 
as she fanned her mistress, until the 
fan fell from inert fingers and she, too, 
slept. 

Suddenly Gooramma was startled 
from her slumbers by a sharp hissing at 
her ear and the weight of a cold, scaly 


59 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


body on her neck. Alarmed her eyes 
flew open to look into the cruel, gleam¬ 
ing eyes of a cobra rearing its head 
above her. Petrified with fear, she 
could neither stir nor utter a sound. 
Instinctively she knew that in another 
second deadly fangs would pierce her 
throat. -'ISf 

Then with a mighty swoop huge 
wings swept down over her face, and 
a long beak seized the hideous snake 
and carried it high into the air. 

Then only, when full realization 
burst upon her, did Gooramma utter 
a piercing shriek of terror. Zelica 
started from her sleep, and the other 
attendants came running from all di¬ 
rections, scattering flowers as they ran. 
Great was their alarm when they 
learned the cause of their mistress’ 
terror. 


60 



“What's that about his neck?” asked Zelica. Upon 
closer inspection they discovered an iron ring fastened 
about the bird’s neck. Page 63. 





















































6 












' 





THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


Presently they heard a queer clack¬ 
ing sound above their heads. Looking 
up, they beheld a bird whose like they 
had not seen before. It was perched 
in a tree devouring with evident relish 
the writhing cobra, which seemed to 
form a choice morsel in its bill of fare. 
After the feast it glided down from the 
tree and began to parade back and 
forth among the startled group. 

“What’s that about his neck?” asked 
Zelica. 

Upon closer inspection they discov¬ 
ered an iron ring fastened about the 
bird’s neck. They were just examin¬ 
ing this curiosity when an elderly gent¬ 
leman with a book under his arm came 
up. He had heard Gooramma’s cry 
of alarm and now arrived to learn the 
cause of it. 

The gentleman was Mr. Elmore, a 

63 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


missionary who had spent many years 
in India organizing schools for boys 
and girls and instructing the natives in 
the Christian religion. Patiently he 
had labored for years to turn them from 
their cruel heathen worship and to open 
their hearts for the gospel of Jesus 
Christ. He was loved and honored by 
all who had come under the influence 
of his hallowed personality. Especial¬ 
ly did Gooramma entertain for him 
feelings of respect and attachment, 
though she had but lately made his 
acquaintance, as since her father’s 
death she had gone to live at the court 
of her uncle, the rajah. 

When she saw the missionary ap¬ 
proaching, she exclaimed: “Ah, here 
comes good Sahib Elmore 1 He knows 
everything and will explain this mys¬ 
tery to us.” 


64 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


When Gooramma had related what 
had occurred, Mr. Elmore laid his 
hand as if in benediction on her head 
and said: 

“God has miraculously preserved 

your life, my young princess. May it 

redound to the glory of His name! This 

bird, which God made use of to work 

His purpose, is a stork. In my native 

land I have seen many such. Let us 

see what is inscribed on his iron neck¬ 
lace. 

‘haec ciconia 

EX POLONIA.’ 

That’s strange, very strange! He 
comes from a distant land, indeed! No 
doubt, he will return to it when spring 
comes there. A wonderful instinct 
guides the birds of passage over vast 
continents and trackless seas to their 
goal.” 

65 

The Stork’s Necklace. 5 . 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


“He has saved my life,” declared Go- 
oramma. “How shall I show him my 
gratitude? O, I know!” she added, re¬ 
moving a golden bracelet studded with 
precious stones from her arm. “Here, 
take this in place of the ugly iron band. 
Leila, summon at once the goldsmith, 
Noureddin. Meanwhile, as the stork 
is quite tame, we can keep him with us 
even if we have to tie a cord about his 
leg.” 

Gooramma petted the stork while 
thus momentarily depriving him of his 
liberty; and he seemed to enjoy the at¬ 
tention, for he clacked his bill and rub¬ 
bed his head against the arm of the 
princess. 

Noureddin soon appeared and found 
no difficulty in undoing the iron band. 
But before permitting him to fit the 
jeweled bracelet about the stork’s neck, 

66 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


Gooramma declared that it must have 
a suitable inscription. 

“Inscribe something,” she ordered, 
“which will testify that we are return¬ 
ing the stork to his homeland with this 
gift of gratitude.” 

“Then we must employ the same 
language used on the iron necklace,” 
declared the missionary. “But it must 
be very brief, for there’s little space.” 

With an engraver’s tool supplied by 
the goldsmith the missionary inscribed 
the following message: 

“INDIA CUM DONIS 
REMITTIT CICONIAM POLONIS.” 

(India returns the stork with gifts 
to the Poles.) 

Gooramma joyously clapped her 
hands when she saw the glittering circ¬ 
let of gold adorning the stork’s neck. 


67 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


As if conscious of the honor, the stork 
paraded before his admiring friends, 
submitting to caresses and listening to 
words of praise, as though he really 
understood what it was all about. 

“See how kindly he nods! Perhaps 
it is his farewell greeting,” exclaimed 
the princess. 

As if to verify her words the stork 
suddenly spread his mighty wings, and 
mounting high into the sky, he sped 
away northward bound. 

“God bless his flight!” exclaimed the 
missionary earnestly. “Though all un¬ 
conscious of the fact, he has this day 
performed a noble deed. But, per¬ 
haps, it was not so wise to burden him 
with your golden necklace, my prin¬ 
cess. Its weight seemed to trouble 
him. I fear he will never reach his 
northern home with the burden, even if 

68 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


some wicked person does not kill him 
for the treasure he bears.” 

11 0 , I’m so sorry!” exclaimed Go- 
oramma, tears gleaming in her coal- 
black eyes. “I trust that my foolish 
fancy will not hinder his homeward 
flight. I meant it in all kindness — 
may it not bring misfortune to my de¬ 
liverer!” 

“But, my good Sahib,” she contin¬ 
ued, laying her hand upon the mission¬ 
ary’s arm; “linger with us a while. Lay 
aside your book and come with me. 
There is so much that I would question 
you about.” 

“Gladly, my child!” declared the 
venerable old man. 

So they strolled up to the cool kiosk 
under the shady tamarinds where ice- 
cooled sherberts, luscious mangoes, and 


69 



THE STORKS NECKLACE 


other refreshing fruits were served on 
platters of gold and silver. 

And here we must leave them, as the 
further events in the life of the beauti¬ 
ful Gooramma do not enter into this 
story. We trust and pray, however, 
that the good seed implanted by the 
missionary in her heart will in God’s 
providence bear blessed and abundant 
fruit. 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


VIII. 

FOREBODINGS OF THE STORM. 

The spacious manor house of Leskow 
seemed to frown down upon the village 
at the base of the rising ground on 
which it stood. Whether working in 
his smithy or busy in the fields, honest 
Gregor Zamoyski seemed more gloomy 
and depressed than of old. His lovely 
daughter Lodoiska observed him with 
anxious eyes as he went about his work, 
and she found it difficult to repress the 
tears that dimmed the beauty of her 
bright eyes. 

Sigismund and Marfa were happy 
and carefree as in former days, for life 
is roseate and sorrows fleeting to per¬ 
sons of their tender years. A shadow 


7i 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


did, however, cross the boy’s counten¬ 
ance whenever he encountered Stefan’s 
malicious glances, and so far as he 
could he avoided all intercourse with 
the bailiff’s son. 

Stefan’s older brother, Gabriel, who 
was spending the winter at home, also 
caused the Zamoyski family much an¬ 
noyance. He declared repeatedly that 
Lodoiska was the prettiest girl he had 
ever seen, and he pursued her with his 
flattering attentions whenever oppor¬ 
tunity offered. The young girl, how¬ 
ever, could not bear the sight of him, 
and would steal away whenever she 
observed him approaching. This nat¬ 
urally wounded his pride; and his ad¬ 
miration for Lodoiska was turned to 
bitter hatred of her as well as the other 
members of the family. 

The harvest that year had not gen- 


72 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


erally turned out well. Of all the vil¬ 
lagers Gregor alone seemed to have 
reaped a fair return for his faithful 
toil, and his well filled barns and gran¬ 
ary were a source of envy to the greedy 
bailiff. 

“It’s strange,” Muischek the bailiff 
kept repeating, “what large sums our 
gracious master, the count is demand¬ 
ing of me these days! His travels and 
his high living in Paris must be costing 
him huge sums. Where all the money 
is to come from is more than I can un¬ 
derstand !” 

Such words always preceded new at¬ 
tempts at extortion on the part of the 
bailiff, and there was none to champion 
the cause of the poor tenants except 
the fearless Zamoyski. But the only 
result of Zamoyski’s efforts in behalf 
of the downtrodden peasantry was to 

73 


r 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


call down upon himself additioned lev¬ 
ies on his possessions. At last his good 
friend, the schoolmaster, was aroused 
and declared: 

“I will write to the count myself and 
let him know how matters stand. It 
will not be my fault if the count is not 
filled with righteous wrath when he 
learns of the tyranny practiced here in 
his name. If only Stanislas, my son, 
were home! He could have expressed 
himself better than I. But I’ll do as 
well as I can.” 

The letter was written and dis¬ 
patched without the knowledge of the 
bailiff. Anxiously a reply was awaited, 
but none came. Either the letter had 
failed to reach its destination, or the 
count utterly disregarded the sufferings 
of his dependents. This latter possi¬ 
bility kindled bitter feelings in many 
a heart. 


74 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


The gypsies, who had spent the win¬ 
ter roving about in other parts, now re¬ 
turned with the coming of spring and 
began their plundering expeditions on 

barnyards and henhouses. 

• • 

Again Gregor Zamoyski boldly de¬ 
manded of the bailiff that he should use 
the power he possessed to put a stop to 
this nuisance. The only result was 
that the bailiff harshly told him to mind 
his own business, and he, the bailiff, 
would tend to his. But this he failed 
to do, and it was generally suspected 
that he was in secret league with these 
troublesome vagrants. 

One evening just at dusk Sigismund 
came running in to his father crying 
that he had seen a man sneaking into 
the henhouse. Gregor rushed out and 
arrived just in time to nab a gypsy who 
was crawling through an opening with 


75 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


a pair of fat ducks under his arm. A 
well directed blow stretched the thief 
on the ground, and the quacking ducks 
waddled away to safety. Zamoyski 
turned to secure the gypsy, but he had 
wriggled away through the bushes and 
made good his escape. 

Meanwhile old Wanda was sitting 
on a fallen tree in the woods, swaying 
from side to side and mumbling to her¬ 
self as she awaited the coming of her 
son with the ducks for the morrow’s 
dinner. When she saw him come lim¬ 
ping empty-handed and with bloody 
nose, her eyes glowed with wrath, and 
beating her breast with doubled fists 
she hissed: 

“This is the work of that wretch, 
Gregor! But never fear; he shall pay 
dearly for it! I will teach the rascal 
that the gypsy Wanda is not to be 

76 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


trifled with. Blood calls for blood! 
The bailiff will not lift a finger to pre¬ 
vent me, and, besides, he. hates Gregor 
like poison. Come into the tent, my 
son, and I’ll cure your hurts; then we 
will consider what to do.” 




77 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


IX. 

THE FIRE. 

One night Lodoiska lay tossing sleep¬ 
less on her bed, filled with a dread that 
she could not account for. At last, 
however, exhausted from the labors of 
the day she fell into a deep sleep. Sud¬ 
denly she was aroused by a strong glare 
that lit up the whole room. Starting 
up from bed and looking out, she saw 
that one end of the barn was blazing. 
Marfa was also aroused, and the two 
girls rushed with loud cries into their 
father’s room. Father and son were 
up in a moment, all rushed out into the 
barnyard where a sad sight met their 
gaze. The fire had started in the hay¬ 
loft and was rapidly spreading in all 

78 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


directions. Tongues of flame shot high 
into the air, and burning straw stream¬ 
ed aloft like fiery meteors. The chil¬ 
dren’s cries aroused the neighbors, the 
first of whom to arrive upon the scene 
was Stanislas who had returned from 
Warsaw the day before. Seizing buck¬ 
ets and other receptacles, they carried 
water from the duck pond to dash upon 
the flames, but without any noticeable 
success. Fortunately the wind shifted, 
or all the buildings on the farmstead 
would have been consumed. 

Gregor had promptly hastened to the 
stalls where the horses were housed. 
When he opned the door a choking 
cloud of smoke met him. Nevertheless 
he made his way in, and by the aid 
of Stanislas untied the shrieking ani¬ 
mals and started to lead them out 
through the door when, frantic with 


79 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


fear, they jerked loose and plunged to 
their death into the blazing interior. 
This awful sight seemed to rob the as¬ 
sembled neighbors of all power of ac¬ 
tion. Mutely they stood gazing at the 
fire and at the pigeons fluttering over¬ 
head like silvery stars in the dark night. 

With the shifting of the wind black 
clouds had gathered in the south. 
These now discharged a heavy shower 
of rain which prevented a further 
spread of the fire. With difficulty Lo- 
doiska and Stanislas had succeeded in 
saving the poultry, but of the well-filled 
barns and granaries only smoldering 
heaps remained. 

“That fiendish old witch, Wanda, is 
the cause of all this,” the villagers whis¬ 
pered to one another. 

“I saw her sneaking about here after 
dusk,” said one, casting anxious looks 

80 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


about him, as if he feared that she 
would suddenly rise from the ground 
and cast an evil spell upon him. 

Whispering thus and shaking their 
heads wisely, the villagers departed for 
their homes, as there was nothing more 
for them to do. 

Left alone with his children, Gregor 

* : y 

stood in mute despair gazing upon the 
ruins. The children watched him fear¬ 
fully, for never before, even under the 
most trying circumstances, had he 
seemed so utterly dejected. At last, 
when he neither moved nor spoke, little 
Marfa threw her arms about his neck 
and cried: 

“O Papa, if you only wouldn’t look 
so sad! That makes me feel worse 
than the fire!” 

“Yes,” added Lodoiska, leaning her 
head caressingly against his shoulder. 

81 

The Stork’s Necklace. 6. 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


“Marfa is right Just suppose our cot¬ 
tage had burned down and left us home¬ 
less! As it is we have at least a roof 
to shelter us.” 

This tender sympathy on the part of 
his children dissolved the icy despair 
of the father’s heart. Tears gleamed 
in his eyes as he said: 

“Yes, my dear children, we have our 
home, and we have each other. Thank 
God for that! Surely the dear God 
will not forsake us, though this loss is 
hard to bear, harder, perhaps, than we 
now realize. We must not lose courage 
but trust in the Lord who knows our 
need and can come to our aid. It’s 
fortunate that I have laid by some 
money which will come in handy, 
now that we have lost so much. Come, 
let’s go to bed. To-morrow we will 
plan for the future as best we can.” 


82 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


But when they entered the cottage, 
a new misfortune stared them in the 
face. The room was in disorder, the 
chest containing the money broken 
open, and the money gone! 

“The gypsy who tried to steal our 
ducks has robbed us!” exclaimed Sigis- 
mund. 

No one doubted the truth of this, but 
how was. the money to be recovered 
from such a gang of thieves who aided 
and abetted each other, and besides, 
were under the protection of the wicked 
bailiff! 

“God help us now!” groaned Zam- 
oyski. “We are stripped of all we 
had!” 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


X. 

TROUBLES THICKEN. 

A few days later Gregor and Sigis- 
mund were busy digging in the charred 
ruins which they were preparing to 
clear away. They were just talking 
about the stolen money, which their 
best efforts had not succeeded to trace 
or recover, when the bailiff Muischek 
and another man entered the yard and 
confronted them. Gregor grew sud¬ 
denly pale, but with a mute nod he 
waited to learn their business with him. 

“My dear friend,” said the bailiff 
with a malicious grin; “I have here a 
letter from the count wherein he de¬ 
mands a large sum of money without 
delay. It will be hard for me to secure 

84 


THE STORK’S .NECKLACE 

this sum on so short notice. So I come 
now to collect your rent which is due 
in a few days anyway, and in addition 
thereto I am compelled to increase the 
amount in accordance with figures you 
will find in this statement.” 

“Bailiff Muischek,” exclaimed Gre¬ 
gor, “it’s impossible! These charred 
ruins are all that’s left of my posses¬ 
sions. Horses and cattle, all were lost 
in the fire. The money I had saved 
was stolen. Under such circumstances 
you see how impossible it is for me to 
make the payments you demand. But 
give me a little time, and I believe that 
I can obtain the money through the 
help of my friends, who know that I 
am an honest man.” 

“Mere evasions!” replied the bailiff 
harshly. “I know that you have some 


85 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


money hid away. Your cock-and-bull 

story of the stolen purse-” 

“Mr. Bailiff!” shouted Zamoyski, 
crimson with rage, and thrusting his 
fist under the nose of his small enemy, 
whom he could have felled with a sing¬ 
le blow. But with fine restraint he let 
his hand fall and stood looking the 
bailiff in the eye with cold contempt. 

“So you threaten me!” the latter 
cried, averting his gaze and cautiously 
stepping back. “Let me tell you the 
result of that! I’ve brought with me 
my friend, the notary Plotov. If you 
don’t produce the sum demanded at 
once, we will make legal seizure of 
your house and all it contains, and you 
will be confined in prison until the last 
cent of your debt has been paid!” 

“No, no; he shan’t, he shan’t!” cried 
Sigismund, wild with fear and rage. 

86 



THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


Away he sped to the schoolhouse shout¬ 
ing: 

“Help, help! They are throwing 
papa into prison; they are murdering 
him!” 

Stanislas ran to the rescue, followed 
more slowly by his father. Even a few 
of the villagers, who had heard the cry, 
appeared; but when they saw Mui- 
schek, they kept discretely in the back¬ 
ground, for they feared the bailiff quite 
as much as they hated him. Stanislas, 
however, placed himself by Gregor’s 
side as if ready to defend him against 

all the world. 

« 

“Arrest him, take him away! I com¬ 
mand it in the name of Count Leskow- 
ski!” shouted Muischek to the burly 
notary. 

But when Plotov made to lay hold 
on Gregor, Lodoiska intervened, and 

87 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


falling on her knees before the bailiff, 
she stretched up her arms and tearfully 
sued for mercy for her father. 

“Ha, ha!” mocked Muischek, thrust¬ 
ing her aside; “that’s the proper atti¬ 
tude for such proud rabble that consi- 
der yourselves too good to associate with 
the bailiff Muischek’s sons! Cry your 
eyes out, girls, and howl, you whelp of 
a boy! It won’t help you any! Pride 
goes before fall. Do your duty, Plo- 
tov!” 

Stanislas had rushed forward to sup¬ 
port the fainting Lodoiska and defend 
her father. Hot anger seethed within 
him, but Zamoyskis firm hand held him 
in check. 

“Don’t lose control of yourself, my 
young friend,” he murmured. “It won’t 
help matters.” 

Thereupon he turned to the crowd of 


88 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 

villagers who had gradually drawn 
nearer, and said: 

“I know that in our unhappy country 
there is no longer any fair dealing for 
the poor man who is little better than 
a slave. But I appeal to our common 
overlord, Count Leskowski. Let him 
be judge between the baliff and my¬ 
self !” 

The bailiff burst into a loud laugh 
of scorn. 

“I am vested with full authority 
from the count,” he declared, “to deal 
with you as I see fit. So that dart of 
yours missed its mark, my friend!” 

“Then I appeal to God!” said Gre¬ 
gor solemnly. “He is full of compas¬ 
sion, and will come to the aid of the 
poor and needy.” 

“Then your God must let a shower 
of money rain down from heaven!” 


89 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


cried Muischek with a wicked sneer. 
“Come, Plotov, we have dallied long 
enough! Arrest him at once in the 
name of the law!” 

They laid hold on Gregor and were 
just going to drag him away when a 
pair of mighty wings swooped down 
beside him with a loud clacking noice. 
The two officers of the law shrunk back 
in terror, but Sigismund cried joyful- 
ly: 

“It’s our stork that has come back to 
us! What’s that about his neck? See, 
it glitters in the sun! It surely isn’t 
the old iron necklace!” 

“It’s gold and precious stones instead 
of iron!” declared Prakosch, the old 
schoolmaster, after a hasty examina¬ 
tion. 

The bailiff’s eyes opened wide with 
amazement when they fell upon the 


90 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


treasure, and he stretched out greedy 
hands for it as a vulture extends its 
talons over its prey. 

“Give me the trinket!” he cried. “It 
belongs to the count. All that creeps 
on the ground or flies in the air over 
his estate belongs to him. Wring the 
neck off the ugly creature, and you will 
get it more easily.” 

At these words Stanislas stepped up, 
struck aside the bailiff’s hand, and with 
the help of Sigismund quickly unfast¬ 
ened the link that held the precious 
necklace, and holding it aloft, he cried: 

“This belongs to Gregor. For years 
the stork has built his nest on Gregor’s 
roof and belongs to him as much as his 
domestic animals do. With the money 
from the sale of this necklace he can 
easily pay his rents. I will hasten off 
to some jeweler in Pultusk and find a 


91 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


purchaser. Wait here a while, bailiff, 
till I return with the money.” 

“There’s my horse over there all 
saddled and bridled,” whispered one of 
th villagers. “Take it, and hurry off 
while you can.” 

“Stop him! Catch the thief!” cried 
Muischek. “He is making off with the 
count’s property.” 

But no one made a move to stop 
Stanislas, who swung into the saddle 
and shouted: 

“Let no one lay hands on Gregor till 
I return with the money. Promise me 
that, friends!” 

With a rattle of pebbles and in a 
cloud of dust he galloped off, and the 
swift little horse, as if sensing the im¬ 
portance of speed, covered the distance 
to Pultusk in record time. 


92 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


XI. 

THE GOLDSMITH. 

When Stanislas arrived at Pultusk, 
he rode straight to the street where he 
knew the goldsmith Jarosinski had his 
shop. An acquaintance whom he met 
promised to care for the horse, so Stan¬ 
islas was free to hurry directly to Jaro- 
sinski’s shop. 

Behind the counter stood a small, 
humpbacked man with yellow skin and 
black, penetrating eyes. Several wom¬ 
en were pricing trinkets, and in a far 
corner sat a gentleman richly dressed 
and scanning the pages of a newspaper. 

“What can I do for you, my young 
friend?” inquired the goldsmith when 
the women had taken their leave. 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 

“I would like to know,” said Stanis¬ 
las, “what this necklase is worth, and 
if you are willing to buy it.” 

So saying he laid the necklace in the 
goldsmith’s hand, who viewed with 
amazement the precious ornament and 
cast suspicious glances upon the youth. 

“This is a trinket of great value,” he 
finally said. “Where did you get it?” 

So as briefly as possible Stanislas told 
the story of the stork and his two neck¬ 
laces, explaining at the same time how 
eager he was to exchange the precious 
ornament for money in order to free an 
honest man from a difficult situation. 
So interested was he in telling his story 
that it never occurred to him that any¬ 
one would doubt his word. 

“Wait a moment, my lad,” said Jaro- 
sinski, going to the window for a better 

i 

94 




THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


inspection of the necklace, and at the 
same time pulling a bell cord. 

Upon the signal a boy appeared to 
whom the goldsmith whispered a mes¬ 
sage and sent him away. 

“Well,” cried Stanislas impatiently, 
“shall we make a deal? Every moment 
is precious, and there is no telling what 
may happen if I don’t return promptly 
with the money.” 

“Tut, tut!” exclaimed the goldsmith; 
“slow and sure is the word. A trans¬ 
action of this size can’t be settled all in 
a moment.” _ 

The old man began to dicker back 
and forth. Repeatedly he held the 
necklace up to the light, repeatedly he 
rubbed it with a woolen cloth, and con¬ 
sumed so much time that Stanilas at 
last lost patience. 

“There are other goldsmiths in Pul- 


95 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


tusk,” he declared. “Perhaps one of 
them may be more ready to make a 
deal with me.” 

So saying he attempted to snatch the 
necklace from the old man’s hand. But 
just then the shop door flew open, and 
the messenger boy appeared, followed 
by two officers of the law. 

“There,” cried the goldsmith point¬ 
ing to Stanislas, “is a young man who is 
in a great hurry to sell a very valuable 
ornament that he has come by dis¬ 
honestly. His story of a stork and a 
necklace is a silly fabrication. Place 
him under arrest until I have time to 
straighten out this matter. It might 
cost me dear to deal in stolen property 
of so great value. Besides, there is a 
notice in the paper that a rich lady of 
Warsaw is advertising a reward for the 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


recovery of some stolen jewels. Per¬ 
haps this is one of them.” 

At first Stanislas stood there as if 
turned to stone. Then with blazing 
eyes and lifted arms he jerked loose 
from the officers, loudly protesting his 
innocence. 

“Believe me,” he cried, “the happi¬ 
ness, perhaps the very life, of a whole 
family is at stake 1 Come with me and 
make inquiries at Leskow, and you will 
learn the truth.” 

“Perhaps he is in league with other 
thieves,” the goldsmith declared. “I 
have heard that there are persons of ill 
repute loitering about Leskow. Take 
him into safe keeping, my friends, and 
you shall share in any reward I may 
receive for restoring the necklace to its 
rightful owner.” 

All this while the gentleman in the 

97 

The Stork’s Necklace. 7. 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


far corner of the shop had been taking 
a quiet nap. But aroused by the loud 
voices and catching the last words, he 
advanced to the excited group by the 
counter. 

“Take your hands off the youth!” he 
commanded the officers, as one accus¬ 
tomed to be obeyed. “This young man 
doesn’t look like a thief. Of what is 
he accused?” 

“O, Sir!” cried Stanislas, new hope 

/ 

lighting up his handsome features; 
“surely, you’ll take the word of an honest 
man 1 I swear on my honor that it was 
the stork and no one else that brought 
this necklace when he returned to his 
nest on Gregor Zamoyski’s cottage, and 
the welfare of a whole family depends 
on my success in exchanging the trinket 
for its value in money.” 

“It’s a queer story,” declared the un- 

98 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


known gentleman. “Where do you 
live, young man?” 

“At Leskow, on a large estate not far 
from here.” 

“Leskow! Who owns the estate?” 

“Count Alois Leskowski.” 

“Why didn’t you turn to him, then, 
in your difficulty?” 

“Because, Sir, he has not been home 
for many years. I’m afraid he doesn’t 
care about the sufferings of his people. 
My father has ventured to write him 
several letters about it, but there has 
been no answer to them.” 

“That’s bad!” said the stranger so¬ 
berly. “Perhaps the letters never 
reached the count. Such things happen 
nowadays. Come, tell me again the 
story of the necklace and the persons 
whose welfare depend on it. And I 
warn you, goldsmith and officers, to 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


keep your hands off this young man. 
I’m here to see justice done and the 

truth discovered, not to shield a crim- 

* * 

inal. Now let’s hear your story, my 
young friend.” 

The stranger seated himself and lis¬ 
tened attentively while Stanislas de¬ 
scribed briefly but vividly the condi¬ 
tion of affairs at Leskow and the events 
of the last few days. The only sign 
of interest the stranger manifested was 
to wrinkle his brow when mention was 
made of the bailiff’s extortions and the 
suffering of the tenants. 

When the story was ended, the 
stranger arose and said: “I will look 
into this matter, as it seems to me of 
some importance. I am personally 
acquainted with Count Leskowski, hav¬ 
ing met him in Paris, and I think that 
he should be informed of conditions on 
his estates.” 100 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


“But, Sir!” cried the goldsmith anx¬ 
iously, “I don’t know what right you 
have to — — —” 

“Calm yourself, my friend,” inter¬ 
rupted the stranger, leaning over the 
counter and whispering a few words to 
Jarosinski. At the same time he opened 
his pocketbook and produced a bill or 
a card, Stanislas could not see which; 
but the result was magical, for the 
fierce little goldsmith became meek as 
a lamb. He removed his cap, made a 
deep bow, and placed himself humbly 
under the stranger’s orders. 

“Give me the necklace,” the latter 
ordered. “I will make it my business to 
see whether it fits about the neck of a 
stork.” 

It was manifestly a torture for the 
goldsmith to surrender the necklace, 
but there was nothing else for him to 

IOI 



THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


do. Almost with a groan he placed it 
in the stranger’s hand. The latter de¬ 
clared that his carriage stood before the 
hotel opposite. Stanislas was asked to 
get in, the two officers followed in a 
cart, a servant mounted Stanislas’s 
horse, and the coachman was ordered 
'to drive at full speed to Leskow. So in 
a cloud of dust the queer procession set 
out, Stanislas sitting with beating heart 
beside the mute, mysterious stranger. 


102 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


XII. 

THE STORM BREAKS. 

Meanwhile a feverish anxiety con¬ 
sumed the villagers gathered at the 
farmstead of Gregor Zamoyski. Gre¬ 
gor himself sat with folded hands si¬ 
lently brooding. Now and again a 
sigh escaped him when his glance fell 
upon his children standing as a body¬ 
guard about him. Lodoiska stood 
gazing down the road along which 
Stanislas had vanished, momentarily 
expecting his return, even before suf¬ 
ficient time had elapsed for him to 
reach the city. At every whirl of dust 
in the distance she started joyously only 
to have her hopes dashed. Marfa and 
Sigismund spent the time alternately 


103 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


caressing their father and their old 
friend, the stork. The latter was just 
rejoicing in the arrival of his mate, and 
presently both were happily clacking 
and scratching in the old nest on the 
roof. Occasionally the male would 
swoop down into the yard as if curious 
to learn the cause of the large gather¬ 
ing there. Little did he realize how 
important a part he was playing in this 
drama. 

The old schoolmaster was striding 
back and forth in an agony of suspense 
impossible to describe. He had dis¬ 
missed the school, for who could think 
of lessons when the fate of the entire 
village hung in the balance? Dark 
forebodings regarding his son also 
filled his heart, for his experience of 
the world had taught him that Stanislas 
had undertaken a mission difficult to 
carry through. 104 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


The bailiff sat beside the notary Plo- 
tov on a bench near the gate. As time 
dragged on his face grew darker and 
more forbidding. Nothing could have 
induced him to delay so long, had he 
not feared to lose the money which 
Stanislas would be bringing back. He 
must be present in person to see that 
not a penny of the price of the trinket 
should be withheld from him. What¬ 
ever happened, he had his victim in his 
power. If the bird writhed a little 
longer in the hawk’s claws, so much the 
worse for the bird — its fate was sure! 
But in some way that he could not ex¬ 
plain fear mingled with his sense of 
triumph. As is the case with all petty 
tyrants, he was a coward at heart. Not 
without anxiety did he view the in¬ 
creasing number of villagers assem¬ 
bling about the place. Drawn thither 


105 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


by curiosity as well as sympathy, their 
increasing numbers kindled their cour¬ 
age long repressed under the yoke of 
oppression, and their hatred of the op¬ 
pressor began to vent itself in threaten¬ 
ing murmurs that by degrees increased 
in volume. In union there is strength, 
and the villagers, who had for years 
groveled in the dust before their cruel 
master, now seemed ready to turn upon 
him and strike down the oppressor. All 
this Muischek observed as he sat 
squirming upon the bench and keeping 
a watchful eye upon the tenants. 

“We must put an end to this farce,” 
he muttered to the notary. “By this 
time Stanislas has made good his escape 
with his booty. We’ll catch that young 
scamp later; but if we delay here long¬ 
er, the rabble will grow so numerous 
that it will venture to disregard my 

106 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


commands and even rise against me.” 

At that moment Stefan came run¬ 
ning up to see what was delaying his 
father so long. The boy was somewhat 
surprised to see the large gathering and 
the sullen faces; but before he could 
ask any questions, his father called him 
and began to whisper some message in 
his ear. 

Gregor, who was standing near, 
caught a word here and there: “The 

gypsies-a few strong men — — 

take the carriage-hurry!” 

Having received his instructions, 
Stefan hurried off at top speed. 

Meanwhile Lodoiska had been bus¬ 
ily preparing a meal of the best that 
the house contained, to which she plan¬ 
ned to invite the bailiff in order to keep 
him in good humor while waiting for 
Stanislas’s return. 


107 






THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


“It’s rather late, I know,” she said to 
the bailiff, “but you and the notary 
must be so hungry that even my simple 
meal will be welcome.” 

They readily accepted the invitation 
and sat down to the meal prepared for 
them, being careful, however, to take 
Gregor along so as not to lose sight of 
him. But though the others ate with 
relish, Gregor could not swallow a 
morsel, so full was his heart of anxiety 
and suspense. After the meal they re¬ 
turned to the yard, eager to be on hand 
when Stanislas should arrive. The sun 
was sinking in the west and already 
concealed behind the lofty trees of the 
forest, but still no sign of Stanislas. 

The baliff’s patience was at an end; 
and when he noticed that several vil¬ 
lagers, weary of waiting, were depart¬ 
ing for their homes, and hearing also 

108 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 

the rumble of approaching wheels, he 
thought that the moment had come for 
him to act. 

“That’s Stefan and the gypsies,” he 
thought. “The lad is prompt, and not 
at all like his lazy brother Gabriel. 
Perhaps he met Wanda and her people 
on the way.” 

“Is there any one who longer doubts,” 
he said aloud, “that Stanislas, the thief, 
has fled with the bracelet? Shut up, 
Prakosch! You are all nothing but a 
worthless rabble! I’ve exercised pa¬ 
tience with you for years, but now it’s 
ended. My carriage will soon be here 
to convey Gregor to where he belongs. 
He’ll trouble me no more. Do your 
duty, notary, and place an attachment 
on all his belongings.” 

Thereupon he seized Gregor by the 
collar and tried to drag him away. But 


109 


THE STORKS NECKLACE 

Gregor threw him off and turned to 
embrace his children who were weep¬ 
ing violently and clinging to him. 

“My children, my dear children,” he 
said with choking voice; “I can only 
pray God to bless and keep you. Love 
and serve him, and pray for your un¬ 
happy father. Good-bye, and God be 
with you now and ever!” 

“Stop your foolish chatter!” shouted 
the bailiff harshly. “Come away from 
those brats! Ah, here are my people, 
at last, to help me!” 

Suddenly Stefan and a holf dozen 
fierce looking gypsies rushed upon the 
scene. Bringing up the rear appeared 
Wanda with her streaming hair and 
piercing black eyes. In a moment Gre¬ 
gor was surrounded, while the villagers 
drew back in fear. The children 
shrieked, the storks excitedly clacked 


IIO 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


their bills, and Prakosch tore despair¬ 
ingly at his gray locks. A fearful hub¬ 
bub arose when the wild gypsies tied 
Gregor’s arms and began to drag him 
to the carriage awaiting him outside 
the gate. But during the confusion an¬ 
other vehicle had arrived, and out of it 
now stepped a tall gentleman clad in 
rich furs. 

“Stop!” he shouted in a voice that 
caused instant obedience. 

“Who dares to give orders here?” 
cried Muischek confronting the strang¬ 
er. 

A single look caused him to turn 
pale, his knees trembled, and he sank 
to the ground stammering: “Count 
Leskowski!” 

“Yes,” proclaimed the stranger in a 
loud voice; “it is I, Count Leskowski, 
who to my shame must admit that too 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


long have I neglected my duty to you, 
my friends.” 

At these words the astonished vil¬ 
lagers flocked around him, eager to see 
and hear their master so unexpectedly 
come back to them. 

“Come here, Stanislas!” he called. 
“Free this honest man from his bonds. 
He has you to thank for his deliver¬ 
ance.” 

“Mercy, gracious Master; mercy for 
one who has served you long and faith¬ 
fully!” cried Muischek, as he lay gro¬ 
veling at the feet of the count. 

“Who never has shown mercy has no 
right to expect it!” declared the count 
sternly. Then turning to the officers 
who had accompanied him, he said: 
“Arrest that man, and see that no gypsy 
escapes.” 

“We have attended to the gypsies,” 


I 12 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


said one of the villagers. “They’re all 
trussed up good and fast, and with them 
the old hag Wanda.” 

“That’s fine!” the count exclaimed. 
“Take the filthy pack away, or they will 
poison the air for us all.” 

Gregor and his children now pre¬ 
sented a touching sight. They could 
not utter a word, so deeply were they 
stirred; they could only laugh and cry 
by turns, as they stood fondly clinging 
to each other. Gregor was the first to 
regain control. Accompanied by the 
children, he stepped up to the count 
and stammered forth his simple but 
warm words of gratitude. The three 
children sank to their knees, but the 
count raised them to their feet one by 
one, and kissed each on the brow. 

“Don’t thank me — thank the young 

113 


The Stork’s Necklace. 8. 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


man there!” he protested, pointing to 
Stanislas. “Poor boy! He was al¬ 
most thrown into prison as a thief for 
your sake! Ah, here we have Father 
Prakosch! I remember you well since 
the time when I was a wild little boy. 
You had some trouble, I fear, in teach¬ 
ing me my letters. I congratulate you 
on having such a splendid son as Stan¬ 
islas!” 

The schoolmaster bowed his humble 
acknowledgement; with burning cheeks 
Lodoiska shyly pressed the hand of 
Stanislas; the smaller children danced 
joyfully about their hero, entirely for¬ 
getting the count’s presence, and amidst 
the general rejoicing the storks clacked 
in sympathy from their nest on the roof. 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


XIII. 

AFTER THE STORM. 

Count Leskowski seated himself un¬ 
der the great linden in the yard and 
began to explain the reasons for his 
long absence from home. The chief 
of these was that he could not endure 
to reside in his native land after this 
had been dismembered by hostile for¬ 
eign powers. Bailiff Muischek, he re¬ 
gretted to say, had won his full con-, 
fidence, and had therefore been left to 
manage the estate. He now realized 
that the postmaster in Pultusk was in 
league with the bailiff, for no com¬ 
plaints had reached him from his de¬ 
pendents, and in consequence he was 
left in ignorance of their ill treatment. 
Of late the income from his estates had 

j 

materially decreased, and this the bail¬ 
iff charged to the laziness and insub- 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


ordination of the tenants. However, 
through an acquaintance, who had late¬ 
ly spent some time in Pultusk, he had 
learned of the sorry plight of his peo¬ 
ple through the persecutions of Mui- 
schek, and of Gabriel’s extravagance 
and riotous living. The count had 
therefore determined to return home 
and obtain personal knowledge of the 
state of affairs. It was on this home¬ 
ward journey that he had encountered 
Stanislas in Pultusk, and had been the 
means of saving him from an unpleas¬ 
ant situation. 

• * 

“The rest you know,” said the count, 
concluding his story. “But here is the 
fateful necklace. Let us see how it 
looks on the neck of the stork!” 

Upon Sigismund’s call the stork flew 

down from his high perch and seemed 
quite proud when the glittering orna¬ 
ment was fitted about his neck. 

“Look!” cried Sigismund; “I believe 
there is an inscription on the necklace, 
but I can’t read it.” 

116 



THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


The count produced his eyeglasses 
and examined the inscription. 

“Sure enough!” he exclaimed; “this 
is what it says: Tndia cum donis re- 
mittit ciconiam Polonis.’ Truly a pre¬ 
cious gift that India sends to our strick¬ 
en land! But that reminds me of a 
letter from a missionary in India lately 
published in an English paper. It tells 
of a Hindu princess whose life was 
saved by a stork. It seems that while the 
princess was asleep, a stork swooped 
down upon a cobra that was about to 
strike her. The stork had an iron band 
about his neck containing the inscrip¬ 
tion : ‘H aec ciconia ex Polonia.’ 
Prompted by gratitude for her rescue, 
the princess had substituted a jeweled 
necklace inscribed: Tndia cum donis 
remittit ciconiam Polonis.’ The writer 
of the letter wondered if the stork would 
ever reach his northern home with the 
precious necklace. And here we have 
him, the same faithful stork that has 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 

twice been instrumental in saving hu¬ 
man life, for the stork must also be 
credited with the rescue of Zamoyski 
from the clutches of the bailiff and his 
gypsies.” 

“Wonderful, indeed, are the ways of 
Providence!” Gregor exclaimed fer¬ 
vently; in which sentiment all present 
heartily joined. 

“Gregor,” said the count, “I owe 
you reparation for all that you have 
suffered through my neglect. I will 
pay you full price for this unique neck¬ 
lace which I intend to treasure among 
my most precious jewels. Besides, I 
will give your pretty daughter Lodois- 
ka a suitable dowry on her marriage 
day, which, to all appearance, is not far 
distant, if I am to judge by the actions 
of yonder pair of lovers. O, Stanislas, 
a word with you, if Lodoiska can spare 
you a moment! I will need a secretary 
to help me to straighten out my affairs 
and gradually overtake their manage- 

118 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


ment. He must be a reliable young 
man with a good education and plenty 
of initiative. I think that you would 
suit me for this position. What do you 
say to it?” 

“O, my Lord,” stammered Stanislas, 
“if I dared — if I thought that I could 
fill the place!” 

“That’s settled, then,” declared the 
count. “You will not find me a harsh 
master, though I have sadly neglected 
my duties up to this time. Well, Sigis- 
mund, my lad, what is it? I see that 
you are bursting with something to tell 
me.” 

“O, my Lord,” stuttered the boy, “it’s 
about Stefan, the bailiff’s son. I know 
he isn’t a good boy, but he’ll get worse 
if allowed to associate with those wick¬ 
ed gypsies.” 

“Quite right, my little friend,” the 
count exclaimed, patting Sigismund on 
the head. “I’ll try to place him under 
better influence. As for yourself, you 



THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


must tell me what you want to be when 
you grow up, and I’ll help you in every 
way possible.” 

Then turning to Marfa, he produced 
a heart-shaped medallion studded with 
turquoises, saying: “Here, my little 
friend; this is for you. You shall wear 
it on a chain around your neck in mem¬ 
ory of this day.” 

“And now, my friends,” he added, 
addressing the assembly of men and 
women gathered in Zamoyski’s yard: 
“When we have put the manor house 
in order, I will invite you all to a ban¬ 
quet. On that occasion we will discuss 
and decide upon all needed improve¬ 
ments, and I trust that we can work in 
harmony to restore Leskow and bring 
back prosperity to both master and ten¬ 
ant. Gregor, you and Stanislas will 
present yourselves at the manor house 
early in the morniing. There are sev¬ 
eral important matters that I want to 


120 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


consult you about. And now, my 
friends, good-night to you all!” 

As the count drove off, loud cheers 
arose from his overjoyed tenants, and 
even the storks clacked excitedly and 
flapped their huge wings. 

The stars were twinkling in the sky, 
and the song thrush was singing his eve-, 
ning psalm when Count Alois Leskow- 
ski arrived at his ancestral home after 
years of wandering over the wide 
world. 

That same evening a happy group 
was assembled about the table in Zam- 
oyskis cottage. Besides the members of 
the family, Prakosch and Stanislas were 
present, and all united in words of 
praise and gratitude to the count whose 
coming had brought about such a won¬ 
derful change for the better. 

“But we must not forget our friend 
the stork,” cried Marfa with sparkling 
eyes. “Just think what would have be¬ 
come of us if he hadn’t arrived in the 
nick of time!” 121 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 


“After all,” declared Sigismund, “I 
don’t think that people are far wrong 
when they say that a stork brings good 
luck to a home.” 

“It wasn’t the stork, my boy,” replied 
the father earnestly. “It was God who 
guides the stork on his pathless journey, 
and without whose will not a sparrow 
falls to the ground. Never forget this 
day, my dear children! Never cease 
to be grateful to God for our wonderful 
deliverance! To God alone be the 
praise and glory!” 




122 


Tlie Little Peacemaker 

The tanner and the baker were neigh¬ 
bors and the best of friends. The yellow 
apron of the former and the white 
apron of the latter hobnobbed amicably to¬ 
gether while their owners faced each other 
discussing affairs of state. When a child 
was born to the tanner, the baker was god¬ 
father to it at the christening. When the 
baker found it necessary to replace some 
superannuated apple or pear tree in his 
orchard, the tanner always selected the 
sturdiest sapling from his own orchard to 
take its place. 

Whenever any of the great festivals of 
the year occured, the baker’s wife, who 
had no children of her own, would swing 
a large basket over her arm and betake 
herself to her neighbors. There she was 
immediately surrounded by a troop of jub¬ 
ilant youngsters, every one of whom was 
her godchild, and among them all she 
distributed with lavish hand the goodies 


123 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


hidden under the white napkin in her 
basket. At one time it woud be gifts sent 
them from the Easter rabbit, at another 
time some gift from the Christmas angel 
himself. The greater the joy of the little 
ones over their gifts, the closer the tie that 
bound mother and godmother to each other. 
You need not be a fortune teller in order 
to predict that the friendship existing be¬ 
tween the two families would last through 
life. 

It happened, however, that the tanner 
and the baker was each the proud owner 
of a dog. The former, who was devoted 
to the chase, had a large brown hunting 
dog that answered to the name of Chaser. 
The latter owned a little snow-white poodle 
called Mordax. Each naturally considered 
his own dog the best and smartest to be 
found. It happened, one day, that Mordax 
quarreled with Chaser regarding the 
ownership of an especially choice and 
toothsome bone. He had, no doubt, for¬ 
gotten for the moment how dangerous it 
is to question the rights of one’s superiors. 
At first they growled, then they snapped, 
finally they were locked in deadly combat, 
and before the baker had time to rush 


124 


THE LITTLE PEACEMAKER 


from the green bench under his kitchen 
window, poor Mordax, his throat torn and 
bleeding, lay expiring, while Chaser with 
tail erect retired from the field of battle, 
the bone of contention carried triumphant¬ 
ly in his mouth. 

Highly incensed, the owner of murdered 
Mordax hurled a large stone after the 
fleeing assassin. But alas, for his aim! 
The stone flew over Chaser’s head, crashed 
through the tanner’s sitting room window, 
missed the tanner’s head by a hair, made 
a breech in the political news he was read¬ 
ing, and landed on the table with a bang. 
Without giving himself time to investigate, 
the tanner flung up the broken window, 
and gave vent to his wrath and indignation 
in no uncertain terms. The baker, stand¬ 
ing in his own yard with immaculate, white 
apron and rolled up sleeves, put up a 
courageous defense. Old and young from 
near and far assembled to witness the 
wordy conflict. The baker was the first to 
retire from the field, but only to begin 
legal proceedings against his neighbor and 
one time friend. The sun descended upon 
their wrath, and the next day they faced 
each other before a justice of peace. The 


125 


THE STORK'S NECKLACE 


tanner was fined five dollars, though he, as 
a good hunter, protested that the wretched 
poodle was not worth two cents. The 
baker was also fined for breaking the win¬ 
dow and disturbing a peaceable neighbor 
while reading the news of the day. Both 
were ordered to share equally in the costs 
of the trial. 

This untoward occurrence caused a wide 
breech in the relation between the two 
families. No longer were friendly nods 
and greetings exchanged between the mem¬ 
bers of the two families. If the tanner’s 
wife took the left side of the street in 
going to church, the baker’s wife would 
invariably take the right. If the baker 
saw the tanner approaching, he suddenly 
discovered that he had business to transact 
on the other side of the street. And mean¬ 
while, the tanner’s poor little ones, who 
had neither part nor share in the quarrel 
of their elders, were almost heartbroken 
because their once so kind godmother no 
longer came to them with gifts from the 
Easter rabbit or the Christmas angel. 

Thus matters went along for about three 
years. Then one afternoon the tanner and 
his wife sat down to drink their three 


126 


THE LITTLE PEACEMAKER 


o’clock cup of coffee, when it was discover¬ 
ed that there was not a coffee roll left in 
the house. Little Helmer, who made the 
discovery, eagerly volunteered to procure 
a new supply. 

“Mother,” he said, “give me some mon¬ 
ey, and I will buy some rolls for you.” 

Then turning to his father, he added: 
“This time I won’t go so far. If the baker 
round the corner hasn’t got any, I’ll run 
in to godfather and buy some, as we used 
to do long ago. 

The tanner, who saw the finger of God 
in this, said neither yes nor no, btft per¬ 
mitted his little son to do as he pleased. 

The baker round the corner had sold all 
his rolls, as Helmer suspected would be 
the case. But far from being disheartened 
on this account, the youngster returned 
past his own home, singing at the top of 
his voice: 

“To-day I’m going to my godfather! 
Yes, to-day I’m going to my godfather!” 

Displeased at this show of enthusiasm, 
the tanner started up to silence his child, 
but before he could raise the window to do 
so, Helmer had already disappeared with¬ 
in the door of his godfather’s shop. 


127 


THE STORK’S NECKLACE 

Presently he reappeared as a dove of 
peace, but instead of an olive branch he 
bore triumphantly a large ring of the 
choicest of coffee bread. 

As he came skipping into the room, he 
cried: “Godfather sends his greetings to 
father and mother, and he hopes that I will 
come again.” 

That same evening the two neighbors 
exchanged a friendly, though somewhat 
shamefaced, greeting over the garden wail 
separating their homes, and the next day 
the yellow apron was again hobnobbing 
with the white apron, as their owners sat 
on a bench under an apple tree in the bak¬ 
er’s orchard. On the third day the two 
wives were proudly displaying to each 
other the fruits of their labors at the loom. 
During the three past unhappy years warp 
and woof had been frequently moistened 
by their briny tears. As for Helmer, the 
baker and his wife loved him as though he 
were their own child. By a painless death 
the tanner quietly disposed of his dog 
Chaser, who had by this time grown old 
and feeble. Never again would there be 
a bone of contention between the neighbors 
—or their dogs. Through the mind of the 
baker’s wife kept running a word she had 
read or heard somewhere: 

“A little child shall lead them.” 


128 




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